Patch severing and applying mechanism



July 30, 1940. A. NOVICK I PATCH SEVERING AND APPLYING MECHANISM Filed Sept. 21, 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet l INYENTOR. Abra/1am Nor/ck ATTORNEYS Jul so, 1940. N K 2,209,348

PATCH SEVERING AND AFPLYING MECHANISM Filed Sept. 21, 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVE'N TOR Abra/mm Nov/ck ATTORNEY S Patented July 30,1940

PATCH snvnamc AND arrnmc MECHANISM Abraham Novick, Flushing, N. Y., assignor to F. L. Smithe Machine (70., Inc., New York,

N. Y., a corporation of New York Application September 21, 1938, Serial No. 230,902

8 Claims.

This invention relates to mechanism for feeding a web of patch material, for severing patches -of uniform length from the web, and for applying the patches to sheet material such as envelope blanks. The invention is disclosed herein as embodied in an illustrative machine for applying window patches to window envelope blanks, but the invention is not to be regarded, because of such illustration, as confined to that particular utility.

In envelope machines it has been a common practice in the past to provide mechanism for advancing uniformly spaced window envelope blanks at a uniform speed, and to provide a variable speed, rotary, patch applying member which accelerates a patch from a state of rest to the speed of blank travel and then travels at the speed of the envelope blank while pressing the patch against the blank.

It has also been the practice in the past to provide a patch severing cutter together with patch web feeding mechanism for advancing the patch material past the cutter. Such cutter has been timed to cut one patch for each cycle of the rotary patch applying member and to effect such cutting during a brief period in the cycle in which the rotary patch applying member is at rest.

It is desirable that the patch web be held stationary and taut at the cutting operation. To this end provision has heretofore been made for causing the patch web material to be advanced intermittently or at variable speed involving substantially a dwell at the period of. severance, together with means for causing the rotary patch applying member to exert a slip tension upon the leading end of the web in advance of and during the cutting operation so that the web will be drawn and held taut for cutting.

One form of intermittent web feeding means which has been utilized has consisted of a crank operated pawl and ratchet mechanism whose advancing stroke is confined to half of an operating cycle. It is desirable, however, that the advancing step of the patch web feeding means be spread out over as much of the operating cycle as possible, since this tends to minimize the liability of slipping of the web with reference to the feeding means. The necessity for guarding against such slipping has been accentuated in recent years by the fact that such smooth, antifriction patch material as Cellophane, Kodopak and the like have become popular as window patch material because of their high transparency. Although the patch web never has to be advanced more than a fraction of the height of an envelope blank in a cycle, it does nevertheless have to beaccelerated from a state of rest to a substantial speed, and it is supplied from a reel of substantial diameter having considerable inertia, so that the problem of slipping is a really serious one, and the desirability of spreading out the web feeding period is important.

One proposed method of solving this difiiculty is disclosed in my pending application Serial No. 119,200, filed January 6, 1937, for Envelope making machine, and consists in operating a drive shaft for the web feeder by means of an eccentrically mounted crank, to cause the drive of the web feeder to be varied in accordance with a law of variation which is substantially the same as the law of variation of the rotary patch applying member. The outer end of the crank arm is arranged to pass close to the center of the shaft at one point in its rotation so as to bring the shaft nearly to rest.

It is a salient feature of the present invention that the patch web advancing means is operated less than, but in exact proportion to, the variable speed of the rotary patch applying member at all times.

In accordance with a practical and desirable way of practicing the invention, and as illustrated herein, provision is made of a variable speed driver for the rotary patch applying member which causes the patch applying member to come to rest very briefly, and then causes the patch applying member to be accelerated to the speed of the envelope blanks for application of a severed web to a blank. For this purpose the patch applying member and the driving mechanism therefor are desirably the same as the corresponding elements disclosed in my pending application, Serial No. 119,200, referred to above. The driving means for the patch web feeder is geared directly to the variable speed driver of the rotary patch applying member through a speed reducing train. The consequence is, as stated above, that the patch web feeder partakes of the variations of speed of the rotary patchapplying member, the effect upon the patch web being that it is driven at all times in proportion to, but less than, the peripheral travel of the slip tension exerted upon the leading end of the patch web by the rotary patch applying member will be constantly to create tension in the patch web or, when the rotary patch applying member comes to rest, to maintain the tension previously created.

The operating cycle is such that both the rotary patch applying member and the unsevered web are smoothly accelerated from a state of rest to their maximum speed and are thereafter smoothly slowed down again to a state of rest, the periods of rest being co-extensive and very brief.

Other objects and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the drawings forming part ofthis specification and illustrating a practical and desirable embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary, sectional, side view of an envelope making machine illustrating features of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary, top plan view of a portion of the mechanism illustrated in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view in sectional, side elevation illustrating particularly a split sprocket which is employed in order to enable the gear ratio between the rotary patch applying member and the patch web feeder to be altered by the substitution of sprockets;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view in front elevation of the sprocket illustrated in Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is a sectional, side view illustrating particularly the mechanism for variably driving the rotary patch applying member.

The illustrative machine comprises a main frame I in which feeding mechanism 2 for advancing envelope blanks 3 continuously and at uniform speed is provided. The envelope blanks are definitely timed in their movements so that timed window patch applying mechanism will be effective to apply a patch B to a predetermined area of each traveling blank.

The envelope blanks are advanced from left to right in Fig. 1 by means of a series of rotary feed couples 5, 6 and l, and by a pin and chain conveyor 3 in cooperation with a feed segment 9 and a roller 9. The blank engaging elements of the feed couples 5, 6 and l are all driven at the same peripheral speed. The blanks are supported upon a table in and are advanced over a bed cylinder or roller H which is driven uniformly at the same peripheral speed as the elements of the feeding couples.

In approaching the roller H, the envelope blanks pass a gumming mechanism (not shown) for gumming the marginal area of a window envelope blank which borders the window opening of the blank. A rotary patch applying sector 12 operates cycle for cycle with the envelope blank feeding and timing mechanism. The sector l2 acts as a rotary patch carrier to carry a patch from the point of severance into association with each envelope blank and, in cooperation with the roller H, to press the patch firmly against the gummecl margin of the blank which surrounds the window opening.

The patch applying sector I2 is driven at variable speed, having a brief period of rest at one point in the cycle but traveling at the same speed as the periphery of the roller H, and as the engaged envelope blank, throughout the period of the cycle in which the sector bears against the roller H.

The sector l2 and all of the other mechanism to be described which has to do with the feeding, severing and delivering of patch material up to the point of application of a patch to an envelope blank is driven from a uniformly rotating shaft l3 upon which the roller II is made fast.

The shaft I3 has fast upon it a gear H which drives a gear l5 of equal diameter, the gear.l5 being revolubly mounted upon a shaft IS. The uniformly rotated gear l5 carries a block H which is pivotally connected to a link l8 forming one element of a toggle l9. A second link 20 is connected by means of a pivot pin 2| to the link l8 at one of its ends, and is pivotally connected at its other end to a crank arm 22 fast upon the hollow shaft I6. The links and associated cam mechanism to be described constitute variable speed driver for the shaft l6 and parts driven by said shaft. The hollow shaft It; drives all of the variably driven patch and patch web feeding mechanism to be described. The pivot pin 2| carries a cam follower roller 23 which travels in a track 24 of a track cam 25. The track cam 25 is afiixed to a plate 26 which is mounted on pwts 21 carried by a member 28 of the frame I. The cam track 26, throughout the major portion of its length, is arcuate in form, the are being concentric with the shaft l6. So long as the cam follower 23 is running in this portion of the cam track, the shaft l6 runs at uniform speed and in unison with the shaft I 3. The cam track also includes a portion, however, (shown as engaged by the follower 23 in Fig. 5), which is concentric with a point in the path traversed by the axis of the pivot pin 29 which connects the link 20 with the arm 22. This arcuate portion has a radius equal to the effective length of the link 20. As the follower is drawn by the link .lll through this portion of the cam track, the pin 29 is caused to remain stationary so that the rotation of the shaft I6 is briefly arrested.

The rotary patch applying sector i2 is fixed upon one arm of a lever 30 pivotally mounted on an arm 3| which extends from a collar 32 fast upon the hollow shaft It. The tail of the lever is normally drawn inward by a spring 34 connected to the tail of the lever and to a pin 35 fast on the shaft It. The inward movement of the tail of the lever which tends to project the segment l2 outward is limited by engagement of an abutment 36 formed on the lever tail, with the collar 32. It will be seen that the patch applying sector E2 is made free to yield toward the axis of the shaft i5, but that outward movement of the sector 82 away from the axis of the shaft E6 is limited by the abutment 36 and the collar 32. The sector i2 is rotated by, and in unison with, the shaft Hi.

The sector i2 is provided with suction passages 37 in its forward margin which communicate with a suction bore 38. The bore 38 is connected through a flexible rubber tube 39 with a nipple 50. The nipple G is affixed to the shaft l6 and communicates with the internal bore ll of the shaft. Provision is made for controlling the alternate admission of suction and atmospheric air to the bore dl of the shaft it as disclosed in Serial No. 734,978, so as to cause the suction to be on from the instant when.the passages 31 first come opposite the leading end of the patch web until the parts reach the position illustrated in Fig. 1. At the latter point the suction is broken and atmospheric air is admitted so as to avoid any tendency of the passages 31 to hold the patch and cause it to be separated from the envelope blank.

The uniformly rotating gear l has fast with it a sprocket 42 which, through a chain 43, drives at uniform speed a sprocket 44 fast upon a shaft 45. The shaft 45 has fast upon it two identical knife operating cams 48 which act at the appropriate point in the cycle to project downwardly one shear blade 41 of a cutter 4 8. l

The patch web material is drawn ofl of a patch web reel 49 mounted in frame arms 50 by means of patch web feeding mechanism which will be described presently. The patch web is advanced across a plate 5| whose forward portion constitutes a shear block for cooperation with the blade 41. The plate 5| is mounted upon a supporting frame 52.

The parts are so constructed and timed that the blade 41 is thrust downward when a leading end portion of the patch web of just the proper length constituting a patch has been advanced beyond the leading edge of the plate 5|. This occurs during the brief period of rest of the sector I2.

The blade 4'! is carried by a swing frame 53 which is pivotally mounted upon studs 54. The swing frame 53 is drawn upward by a spring 55 connected to the swing frame and to a stationary part of the frame of the machine. The swing frame carries a pair of cam follower rollers 56 which cooperate with the respective cams 46.

As the patch web is advanced beyond the cutting edge of the plate 5i before severance the leading end dangles into the path of the sector l2. The suction passages 31 draw the leading end of the web frictionally against the surface of the sector. The sector, as will appear when the web feeding means is.described, is always traveling faster than the patch web except during the brief period when both the sector, and

the patch web are at rest. The sector, therefore,.

slides along underneath the suction-held leading end of the web and draws the leading end of the web taut. The sector 12 comes to rest with the suction passages underneath the extreme forward margin of the patch web. After the patch has been severed, the suction passages holdthe patch to the sector l2 so that the patch is carried to the envelope blank by the sector.

In order to avoid any possible slipping of the patch at the severing operation or when the sector starts up from a state of rest following the patch severing operation, provision is made of a cooperating patch feeding sector 57 which runs at all times at the same peripheral speed as the sector l2 and which comes into engagement with the web just as the sector l2 comes to rest for the severing operation. The web is, therefore, positively gripped at the severing operation, and the patch is positively advanced after severing during the critical period when acceleration of the patch is in progress.

The shaft It has fast upon it a gear 58. The gear 58 drives a gear 59 of half its own size which is fast upon a shaft 60. The sector 51 is fast upon the shaft 60 and has a radius equal to one-half the radius of the sector ii. The sector 5! is caused, therefore, to travel at all times at the same peripheral speed as the sector l2.

The parts thus far described are all the same as the mechanism directly disclosed in application Serial No. 119,200, or as incorporated in the disclosure of that application by reference to my pending application Serial No. 734,978.

The patch web feeding mechanism to be described is also like the patch web feeding mechanism of Serial No.- 119,200, but the salient feature of difierence resides in the manner and means of 5| which is set in bearings of frame arms 50. The patch web 62 is led from the reel 49 around a roller 63 mounted upon a pair of arms 64 which are pivoted upon a shaft 55. The shaft 55 is mounted upon sub-frame members 65 of which the arms 50 form parts. The arms 64 are connected to one another by a'tie rod 61 so that the arm 64 and the rod 61 jointly form a swing frame for carrying the roller 63. Springs 68 connected to the arms 64 and to stationary pins 69 tend to hold the arms 64 in the position illustrated in Fig. 1. When the web is started forward, however, the arms 64 swing upward against the force of gravity and of the springs 68, so that the inertia of the reel 49 does not have to be suddenly overcome.

From the roller 53 the web passes between a feed roller 10 fast on a shaft H, and a cooperating feed roller 12 fast on a shaft 13. It passes thence around a substantial arc of the roller and beneath the lower stretch of a feed belt 54 which bears against the roller through the web which is being delivered across the plate 5! and thrust past the cutting point.

The variably driven shaft l6 has fast upon it a sprocket 15 which through a chain l5 drives a sprocket 11 fast on the shaft 1 I. It will be noted that the sprocket I1 is of much greater diameter than the sprocket 15 so that the rotation of the shaft 1 I, though proportional to the rotation of the shaft l6 at all times is at a much slower speed. The drive ratio together with the relation -of the radii of the" sector l2 and the roller i0 is so chosen that the peripheral rate of travel of the sector 12 will bear to the peripheral rate of travel of the roller 10, the same ratio which the distance between corresponding points of successive envelope blanks bears to the length of a patch. I

The shaft H has fast upon it a gear l8, Fig. 2, which meshes with and drives a pinion 19 fast upon the shaft 13. The gear ratios are such that the roller 12 is caused to travel at the same peripheral speed as the roller ill.

The shaft 13 has secured thereto arms 80 which are pivoted on studs 8i. One of the arms 80 has a pin 82 affixed to it. A spring 83 is connected at one end .to the pin 82 and at its opposite end to a stationary pin 84, and causes the roller 12 to bear firmly against the roller H0. The pinion l9 drives a pinion 85 fast on a shaft 89, and the pinion 85 in turn drives a gear Bl, Fig. 2, fast upon a shaft 88. The shaft 88 has fast upon it a pulley 89 which drives the belt 14. The driving train is so chosen that the belt is caused to travel at the same peripheral speed as the roller I0.

A frame or bracket 90 is formed with collars 9| and 92 for embracing, respectively, the shaft 88 and a fixed supporting rod or shaft 93, The frame 90 extends over the plate 5! and rotatably supports a roller 94 upon which the belt 14 is trained. The-roller 94 supports the forward end of the belt 14 in position to bear frictionally against the patch web on the plate 5 I.

Fingers 95 aifixed to a shaft 96 extend downward over the leading margin of the plate 5| adjacent to the blade 41 and serve to prevent lifting of'the forward edge of the patch web by the blade 41 as the blade 41 moves upward after severing a patch.

It will be seen that all of the patch web feeding members l0, l2 and 14, are driven at the same peripheral speed from the shaft l6. They are all driven in proportion to, but slower than,

the sector I2. At all times when the sector 52 is in motion, therefore, the sector will be traveling at a higher rate of speed than the patch web feeding elements, so that there can be no question that tension will be exerted upon the leading end of the patch web right up to the instant when the sector l2 comes to rest. Neither can there be any question of relative timing because the rest periods of the sector I2 and of the patch web feeding elements are caused to coincide precisely,

When it becomes desirable to increase the length of patch fed and. cut in a cycle, this may be accomplished by substituting a larger sprocket for the sprocket I5.

The sprocket 15 is one of a series of sprockets which are identical in all respects save as to the matter of diameter and number of teeth. Details of the sprocket construction are illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4. It will be observed that the sprocket i5 is made in two equal segments 91 and 98, formed, respectively, with bearings 99 and H10. The bearings 99 and Hill are adapted to be removably clamped to the shaft It by means of bolts I0! passed through opposed ears of the bearings and nuts I02 threaded on the bolts. The bearing member 99 is formed with a keyway for receiving a key I03 fixed to the shaft I6.

When a sprocket substitution is to be made, the chain 16 is opened and removed from the sprockets 15 and 16. The sprocket substitution is then effected and a new chain of proper length is applied. It will be evident that the sprocket and chain replacement does not in any way affect the coordination and relative timing of the rotary patch applying member and the patch web feeder, but that it only affects the ratio of the drives to cause a greater or lesser length of patch web to be fed in a cycle as desired. The knife will still cut oii the web at the same point in the cycle, and both the rotary patch applier and the patch web feeder will come to rest at that point.

If it be assumed that the readjustment was on which increased the length of patch web feeding in a cycle, however, it will be evident that the leading end of the patch web will extend farther past the severing point at the instant of severance than before. Since it is desirable that the suction passages 37 shall be engaged with the leading margin of the patch web at the instant of severance, provision is made for adjusting the sector l2 relative to the shaft 56. To this end, the arms 3i which carry the sector are arranged so that they may be adjusted rotatively with relation to the shaft it. The arms 35 include collar portions 32 which encircle the shaft 06, and provision is made of set screws 34 threaded through the collar portions 32 for enabling the arms to be rotatably adjusted. When such adjustment is required the set screws are loosened, the arms are readjusted and the set screws are again turned to cause them to bind against the periphery of the shaft H3.

Obviously, a shortened web feed calls for adjustment of the arms 3| in the reverse direction.

I have described what I believe to be the best embodiment of my invention. I do not wish, however, to be confined to the embodiments shown, but what I desire to cover by Letters Patent is set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A patch-applying mechanism comprising, in combination, a rotary patch carrier, a variable aaoas-is speed driver for driving the patch carrier at variable speed to cause the carrier to come to rest briefly at one period of its cycle and to travel at predetermined speeds in other periods, means for feeding the leading end of a patch web to said carrier, means for driving said feeding means slower than, but constantly in synchronism with, the patch carrier, severing means interposed between said feeding means and the carrier for severing a patch from the leading end of the patch web, and means for operating the severing means to sever a patch while the feeding means and the patch carrier are at rest.

2. A patch-applying mechanism comprising, in combination, a rotary patch carrier, a variable speed driver for driving the patch carrier at vari-- able speed to cause the carrier to come to rest briefly at one period of its cycle and to travel at predetermined speeds in other periods, means for feeding the leading end of a patch web to said carrier, means connecting the variable speed driver to drive said feeding means slower than, but constantly in synchronism with, the patch carrier, severing means interposed between said feeding means and the carrier for severing a patch from the leading end of the patch web, and means for operating the severing means to sever a patch while the feeding means and the patch carrier are at rest.

3. A patch-applying mechanism as set forth in claim 1 which further includes means for applying suction through the forward marginal portion of the patch carrier to cause such forward marginal portion as it slides along the leading end of the web in advance of the severing operation to make the web taut for severing.

4. A patch-applying mechanism as set forth in claim 1 which further includes means for applying suction through the forward marginal portion of the patch carrier to cause such forward marginal portion as it slides along the leading end of the web in advance of the severing operation to make the web taut for severing, a patch feeding sector cooperative with the carrier to grip the severed patch and advance it positively immediately after the severing operation, and means connecting the variable speed driver to drive the sector in unison with the carrier.

5. A patch-applying mechanism as set forth in claim 1 which further includes means for applying suction through the forward marginal portion of the patch carrier to cause such for ward marginal portion as it slides along the leading end of the web in advance of the severing operation to make the web taut for severing, a patch feeding sector cooperative with the carrier to grip the severed patch and advance it positively immediately after the severing operation, and means connecting the variable speed driver to drive the sector in unison with the carrier, the sector being timed to engage the web just as it comes to rest for the severing operation.

6. A patch-applying mechanism comprising, in combination, means for feeding window envelope blanks at constant speed, a rotary patch-applying sector, a driver for driving the sector at variable speed to cause the sector to travel at the speed of the blank feeding means when in engagement with a blank, but to come to rest at another point in the cycle, means for feeding the leading end of the patch web to said sector, means connecting the variable speed driver to drive said feeding means slower than, but in synchronism with, the patch-applying segment, severing means interposed between the feeding means and the segment for severing a patch from the leading end of the patch web, and means for operating the severing means to sever a patch while the feeding means and the patch-applying sector are at rest.

7. A patch-applying mechanism as set forth in claim 6 which further includes means for fa- 10 cilitating readjustment of the driving ratio between the variable speed driver and the web feeding means.

8. A patch-app y mechanism as set forth in claim 6 which further includes means for iacilitating readjustment of the driving ratio between the variable speed driver and the web feeding means, and means for adjustably securing the sector in selected rotative positions relative to the driver.

ABRAHAM NOVICK. 

